The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1887-12-14

by that song that after the singing was done,
an aged man arose in the audience, over
whelmed with emotion, and said: "Slr, will
you please to tell me whether the woodman
really spared the treer' We never forget the
tree under which we PLAYED. We never for
get the fountain at which wc drank. Alas
for the man who has no early memo rieS
David thought of that well, that boyhood
we'll, and he wanted drink Of it, but he re-
memhered that the PhiliStines had captured
it. When those three Iu:n tried to come up
to the we'll in behalf of David, they saw
swords cleaning around about it, And this
is true Of this Gospel well. The Philistines
have at times captured it. When We come to
take full. old-fasiioned drinko Of pardon and
comfort, do not their swords of Indignation
and sarcasm flash? Why, the skeptics tell
us that we cannot come to that fountain!
They say the water is not fit to drink any
how. nIf YOU are really thirsty now. there
is the we'll of philosophy, there is the well OF
art, there is the we'll of science" They try
to substitute instead of our boyhood faith, a
modern mixture. They say a great
many beautiful things about the soul,
and they try to feed our immor-
tBl hunger on rose leaves, and mix
a mint julep of worldly stimulants, when
nothing will satisfy us but "a drink of the
water of the well of Bethlehem, which is at
the gate" They try to starve us on husks,
when the Fathers banquet is ready, and the
best ring is taken from the casket, and the
sweetest harp is struck for the music,
and the swiftest foot is already lifted
for the dance. They patronize
heaven and abolish hell, and try to measure
eternity with their hour-glass, and the throne
of the great God with their yard-stick! 1
abhor it. I tell you the old Gospel we'll is q
captured we'll pray God that there may
- in tbrpa n
nointed men, with courage enough to 60
forth in the strength of the omni-
potent Sod, with the glittering swords
of truth, to hew the way hack
again to that old we'll I think the tide is
turning, and that the old Gospel is to take its
place again in the family and in the univer-
sity, and in the legislative hall. Men have
tried worldly PHILOSOPHERS, and have found
out that they do not give any comfort, and
that they drop an arctic midnight upon the
th-pillow. They fail when there is q
dead child in the house; and when the soul
comes to leap into the fathomless ocean OF
eternity, they give to the man not so much
as broken spar to cling to. Depend upon
it, that well will come into our possession
again, though it has been captured. If there
be not three anointed men IN the Lords
host with enough conservation to do the work,
then the swords will leap from Jehovah's
buckler, and the eternal three will descend =
God the Father God the Son, God the Holy
Ghost-conquering for our dying race the
way back again to "the water Of the well Of
Bethlehem, which is by the gate" IF God
be for us, who can be against us.' "lf God
spared not his own Son, but freely gave him up
for us all, how shall he not with him also freely
give US all things|' "For l am persuaded
that neither height, nor depth, nor angels,
nor principalitieS, nor powers, nor things
present nor things to come" shall take from
us, into final captivity, the Gospel of my
blessed Lord Jesus Christ.
Again the Gospel well, like the one spoken
of in my text, is well at the gate. The
traveller stops the camel to-day, and gets
down and dips out Of ths valley Of the East,
some very beautiful, clear, bright water, and
that is out OF the very well that David longed
for. Do YOU know that that well was at
the gate, so that nobody could go into
Bethlehem without going right past lts And
so it is with this Gospel well-it is at the gate
1t is in the first place, at the gate of puritica-
tion. We cannot wash away our sins unless
with that water. take the responsibility
child in this house to-day that
has escaped sinful deflement. Do you
say it is outrageous and ungallant
for me to make such a charge? DO you
say: 81 have never Stolen-l have never
blasphemed-1 have never committed un-
chastity-I have never been guilty OF
murders r. I reply, you have committed a
sin worse than blasphemy, worse than un-
chastity, worse than theft, worse than muir
der. We have all committed iS. We
have by our sins recruciied the Lord, and
that is decide. And if there BIO any who dare
to plead "not guilty" to the indictment, then
the hosts Of heaven will be empane!ed as a
jury to render unanimous verdict against
us; guilty one, guilty all. With what slash
ing stroke that one passage cuts us away
from all our pretensions. There is none
that doeth good-no, not one" ''Oh," says
SOME one, "all we want, all the race wants,
is development" Now I want to tell you
that the race develops without the Gospel into
a Sodom, Five Points, a great Salt Lake
City. 1t always develops downward, and
never upward, except as the grace Of God lays
hold of it. What, then, is to become of our soul
without Christ! Banishment. Disaster. But
bless my Lord Jesus Christ that there is a
we'll at the gate Of publication. For great
sin, great pardon. For eighty years of trans
greSsion, an eternity.!of forgiveness. For crime
deep as hell, an atonement high as heaven
that where sin abounded so grace may much
more abound; that as sin reigned unto death,
even so may grace reign through righteous
ness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ, our
Lord Angel Of the Covenant, dip thy wing
in this living fountain to-day, and wave it
over this solemn asSemblage, that our souls
may be washed in ''the water of the we'll of
Bethlehem, which is by the gate"
Further, remark that this we'll Of the
Gospel IS at the gate of comfort. Do you
know where David was when he uttered the
words of the text! He was in the cave of
Adullam That is where some Of you are
now Has the world always gone smoothly
with you1 Has 1t never pursued you
with slandera Is your health always
goodi Have your fortunes never
perished! Are your children all alive and
wells Is there no dead lamb in the folds
Are you ignorant of the way to the cemetery?
Have you never heard the bell toll when it
seemed as if every stroke Of the iron clapper
beat your heart! Are the skies as bright when
you look into them as they used to be
when other eyes, now closed, used to
look into them! Is there some trunk or
drawer in your house that YOU go to only on
anniversary days, when there comes beating
against your soul the surf OF great ocean Of
agony? 1t is the cave Of Adullam! The cave
of Adullam! Is there some David here
whose fatherly heart wayward Absolom has
broken? Is there some Abraham here who is
lonely because Sarah is dead in the family
plot of Machpelah! After thirty or forty
years of companionship, how hard it was for
them to part! Why not have two seats in
the Lords chariot, so that both the cd folks
might have gone up ut once? My aged mother,
in her last moment, said to my father" Father,
| wouldn't it be nice if we could both go to-
gether." No, no, no. We must part And
there are wounded hearers here to-day. The
| world cannot comfort you. What can it
| bring yous Nothing. Nothing. The salve
| they try to put on your wounds will not stick.
They cannot, with their bungling surgery,
mend the broken bones
Zoppar the Naamathite, and Bildad the
Shuhite, and Eliphaz the Temanite. come in.
and talk, and talk, and talk, but miserable
comforters are they all. They can not pour
light into the cave of Adullam They can